Pride will be on the line for the Illini soccer team on Friday when it travels to in-state rival Northwestern to conclude the Big Ten regular season.

No. 19 Illinois comes into Friday’s game with a record of 5-3-1 in the conference and 11-4-1 overall. The Illini are holding a slim lead in fourth place, right ahead of Northwestern, which has recorded a 5-4 record in the conference.

For the Illini to meet their goal of finishing in fourth place, Friday’s game is going to be a must-win.

“Definitely, this is a big game because of the standings,” said junior defender Kelly Campbell. “We’re fourth and they’re fifth, so both of us are going to be battling hard for that fourth spot.”

With many in-state players competing in the game on both sides of the ball, there will be some pride on the line.

“A lot of players were teammates on club teams over the summer and they want to be successful when they play against them,” said Illinois head coach Janet Rayfield. “The same thing goes for all the in-state players who competed against each other in high school. There will be a lot of excitement in the environment.”

Although the Illini are coming into Friday’s game with a lot of intensity, they have to expect the same from Northwestern.

“That is the challenge,” Rayfield said. “It will bring out the best in Northwestern, too. We hope that it brings out the best in us.”

Entering this weekend’s game, the Illini are 3-4 on the road. One of the team’s goals at the beginning of the season was to finish with a .500 or better road record. They have an opportunity to reach that goal against Northwestern.

“We want to establish ourselves on the road,” Rayfield said. “It will take a win on Friday to accomplish that. It will be important for us.”

The Illini are looking for some consistency. They have not had a game this season where they have been able to put it all together.

“In Penn State, our defensive backs played great,” Rayfield said. “Our midfielders and frontrunners have played great at times this year; we’ve had all the pieces do well throughout the year at separate times. Our goal in this game is to see it all come together on the same day.”

With the Illini having only one more regular season game after Friday, they are hoping they can get something going before they enter the Big Ten Tournament and the NCAA Tournament.

“I think it’ll be very important (to win) for momentum,” said sophomore defender Sarah Brown. “We want to come out and do very well and dominate. We know we can play against some of the top teams.”